But not with bitter tears--for far above

All earthly hopes, around the cross had twined Her helpless heart, in trustfulness and love.

And now, all sin and sorrow left behind, Safe on her Saviour's breast she waits to see Her loved ones come: Oh, darling! who could weep for thee?

HER little child hath gone to sleep,

Why should a mother watch and weep?

Earth's ills were gathering round his nest—

He crept into a Father's breast.

'My Beloved is gone down into His garden to

gather lilies.'

Cant. vi. 2.

NINETEENTH DAY.

De Profundis.

OUT of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Ps. cxxx.

For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

Isa. liv. 7,

8.

:

And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; and saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye, and pray, lest ye enter into temptation : the spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them,

Sleep on now, and

take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand. St. Mark xiv. 32-42.

ANON.

GOD is very merciful in dealing with us when

He would chasten us in His love; and prepares us by warnings for the coming sorrow;

the days, weeks, or even months of watching by the sick-bed of some earthly idol, what are they but a time of preparation in which He would train our hearts for the discipline which, in His wisdom, He thinks fit to send upon us? When, however, the cloud casts its shadow across our path, we shrink back in fear, we look up and pray to be spared, we scarcely seem to hear the words which would speak to us of comfort and encouragement: 'When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.'

Is there anything wrong or unnatural in this? Surely not,—man was created for happiness, not for sorrow (which is the fruit of sin): and did not our Blessed Master Himself, in the agony of His coming suffering, pray, saying, 'Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me.' What God asks of us in those sad days of preparation is, that we should learn to go forth to meet our future, whatever it may be, in His spirit, who to His prayer for deliverance added these words, 'Nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.' Before the fall, man's will was in perfect harmony with the Divine Will; when he sinned, that union was destroyed; but in God's dealings with His people we see that the very suffering which came as the consequence and punishment of sin may bring with it a very special blessing to faithful hearts. God may enable them by its means to perfect once more that union destroyed by sin, and to

pass through the agony of 'Not My will, but Thine' to the heavenly peace of 'Thy will be done.'

When the Lord stretches forth His hand and we feel that the life of our dearest and best hangs in the balance, He would tell us that He does not come to take, but to ask us to give. It is not the unwilling yielding up of that which we may no longer hold that He requires of us, it is the perfect sacrifice of our will to the will of our divine Lord that is well-pleasing in His sight.

We see how, in the case of Abraham, God accepted the will without requiring the deed; and it was not (as we are apt to suppose) when he stood on Mount Moriah and lifted his hand to slay his son that his offering was made-the victory over his own will was accomplished in the still hours of that night when God came to 'tempt' him, and when 'he arose early in the morning' the sacrifice was as fully completed in his own heart, and in God's sight, as if at that moment 'his only son, whom he loved' had lain dead by his hand.

At times God deals with us in like manner; we offer up a petition for some desire of our heart day after day for months, even for years, and yet no answer is vouchsafed; then we feel that it may not be God's will to grant it, and with humble and resigned hearts we bury our dead hope and pray instead, 'Thy will be done;' and then it may be that our heart-service is accepted, as was that